*Spring Break*

This year we had an AWESOME Spring Break! Nick was able to take time off from work during Carson's school break and we wanted to do something really fun as a family. I asked my brother Chaz if his family wanted to go to the beach with us. Chaz and Sara came back with an EVEN BETTER idea...let's all go to Disney World! Chaz, being an Army helicopter pilot, got us some seriously sweet deals on tickets. Then we split the cost of a condo (thanks Andrew and Heather!!!!), which made for a very affordable trip. (Yeah...we have GREAT connections!)

So we road-tripped it to Florida, stopping at Fort Rucker, AL to stay the night with Chaz, Sara, and Marek. The boys were sound asleep when we arrived at the Army Post gate...but they woke up fast when the realized that they were about to go on a real, true Army base. How awesome! Once through the gates, they were wide-eyed... watching for any Army guys or helicopters. And there were tons of helicopters! The boys LOVED seeing all those Army helicopters! (Poor Chaz had to answer a gazillion questions about Army stuff! Luckily, he is quite the authority on the subject!)


Saturday morning we were off to Florida. Sunday we totally LUCKED out. The space shuttle Discovery had been delayed in it's previously scheduled launch. So, with weather now permitting, we were able to watch the shuttle launch Sunday evening. We drove about an hour and a half to the coast and watched as the rockets blasted. We felt the roar of the engines! The fire-in-the-sky was so bright...it was like watching the sun rise in a matter of seconds! (I'll post pictures later...have to get the flash drive from Nick, who is at work until tomorrow morning!)

Then on Monday, we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom. This park was the most crowded, but had some really fun rides. Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain were our favorites. With some cleverness, we figured out how to successfully stuff Nixan's shoes in order to give him that extra inch he needed to ride on the big-kid rides! He felt so big and so BRAVE! Here's the classic shot in front of the castle:


Tuesday was Animal Kingdom...we loved the Mount Everest ride and the Safari. Both were EXCELLENT!

Here's a picture of the exhaustion TJ felt...well, we all felt it on the second day...but he got to indulge it. After a tasty Disney sucker, he was content. Stickiness can wait for a 2 year old apparently.


Day 3: Disney's Hollywood Studios
The kids were AMAZED at the stunt shows. Both the Indiana Jones and "Lights, Motors, Action" shows were crazy-good!! This park was our favorite by a mile!!


About to get on the "Tower of Terror" elevator ride. We went on it 3 times. Except Nixan. After the first time on that one he decided it wasn't that good (i.e. He got REALLY scared!)


Then there was the Star Wars ride. Fun, but totally for the kids...caused Nick and me some yucky motion sickness.


Playing Star Wars. I think this is a speeder bike....but really I can't keep my Star Wars lingo straight!?


Classic shot at the EPCOT park. Epcot is actually an acronym: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It's a reflection of Walt Disney's idea of a utopian community (think "Its a Small World").


And here's a final shot from our last day in Florida. While at Downtown Disney, we went into the Lego store and the boys thought this lego Star Wars Trooper was down-right incredible!


Then it was back to Sweet Home Alabama with Chaz and Sara. They were such great hosts...and fun roommates in FL. Little Marek is just the happiest little guy...and a SUPER traveler! We'd vacation with them again in a heartbeat! Here we are standing outside Chaz's home:


Wow! This was a LONG post! But I had to journal it...so if you've read this far...you are one dedicated blog-reader!